Chapter 6: Change Happens!

Change--it's the only constant! 
All puns and jokes aside, change is something we all have to deal with on a regular basis. While Evans & Ward note that change models can't completely explain change, or make it easy to deal with, these models can help us understand how others react, and take steps to have well-manged change (2007, p. 122).

When most people encounter greater-than-incremental change, they go through a four-stage process:

1. Denial: we may say that the change won't effect us, or that it won't end up happening.
2. Resistance: we come up with reasons why the change will be bad for individuals, or for the organization.
3. Exploration: we learn more about the change and accept that there may be positive outcomes.
4. Commitment: we actively work towards making the change successful.

As our group members discussed change, one of the common themes we noticed is the role of communication in making change successful. When employees feel out of 'the loop' on changes, or they feel a disconnect from the decision-making process, they seem more likely to stick in the denial and resistance phases, as opposed to moving on to exploration and commitment.

As someone who has seen a lot of organizational change, I wanted to share a personal experience:

from Catherine:
"While working for a major research university (in student affairs), my department went through some major changes in terms of job duties and reporting lines for entry-level staff. I knew that changes were being discussed at higher levels, and was even a little excited about what the changes might mean. At a staff meeting, our director mentioned off-hand that I would be taking on an entirely new area of responsibility--he thought that I was already aware of the changes. I was caught off guard, as was my direct supervisor, and even the director seemed embarrassed after he realized his mistake. Because of this 'faux pas', I had a much harder time getting 'committed' to the changes. 

Works Cited:

Evans, G. E., & Ward, P. L. (2007). Management basics for information professionals (2nd ed.). New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers.